“The DVC community is so proud of our students in achieving this historic milestone” 

PLEASANT HILL, CA (MPG) - Diablo Valley College (DVC) Speech and Debate team won first place at the California Community College Forensics Association (CCCFA) State Championship Tournament, held virtually March 10 – 14^th. This is the first time in DVC history that the Speech and Debate team, also referred to as Forensics, has won a state championship, and the first time in 45 years that an institution in Northern California has taken the top spot.

“The DVC community is so proud of our students in achieving this historic milestone,” says President Susan Lamb. “Despite the challenges they faced as a result of the pandemic, the team persevered and accomplished their goal. Congratulations to the coaches and the students.”

Throughout the virtual tournament, 15 DVC students competed in head-to-head debating, public address, limited-preparation speaking and dramatic performance. In addition to the team’s overall achievement, individual DVC competitors earned the top three spots in single speaker rankings and made up six of the top 10 speakers in the state. This year’s State Championship highlighted issues that ranged in style and topic, from speeches on anti-Asian discrimination and Black culture in art, to the objectification of people with disabilities and other sociopolitical issues.

“DVC is proud that this historic team is composed of students from a robust diversity of ethnic backgrounds, ages, physical abilities, English fluency, and beliefs,” said Blake Longfellow, DVC’s Director of Forensics. “Throughout its long history at DVC, the Speech and Debate team has served as a platform for students from all backgrounds to use their voice to be advocates for the issues most important to them.” 

Longfellow, along with Forensics coaches Paul Villa, Andrew Morgan, Robert Hawkins and Sasan Kasravi, received help from numerous colleagues and alumni who donated their time, media equipment, financial support and expertise to allow the team to focus on success. To see the full list of awards, please visit the CCCFA State Championship site.

Diablo Valley College (DVC) is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District. For over 70 years, Diablo Valley College has provided quality education to the community it serves. The larger of DVC’s two campuses is located in Pleasant Hill while the newer San Ramon Campus serves the south county in Dougherty Valley. Between its two campuses, DVC serves more than 28,000 students each semester with a wide variety of program options. DVC is not only recognized as one of California's best community colleges, but it also leads the state in transfer to four-year institutions. For more about DVC, visit www.dvc.edu .